


The Heat of the Moment

by Musical_Noel



Category: Love Never Dies - Lloyd Webber, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: christine dies a lot, it really ain't that funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 15:52:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17707193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musical_Noel/pseuds/Musical_Noel
Summary: Christine dies. And comes back. and dies again.Remember that weird movie, 'groundhog day' or something like that? same concept, but shorter. I tried to make it funny, but I wrote it in math class and so it did not turn out that way.Also, get that Supernatural reference.





	The Heat of the Moment

_It is all going to be okay_ , I mouthed to Gustave. I didn’t know this for sure, but that’s what I wanted to believe. I was vaguely aware of Erik standing next to me, trying to talk Meg down. Something is wrong with her, and I think she was explaining it, but I was to focused on the death hold she has on my son to hear.

This was all my fault, I should have listened to Raoul, but I don’t think I would have ever been happy with him from now on, I wasn’t even happy with him after I had the child. I wanted to be with Erik.

“Christine,” Meg whispered. I looked up, now tuning into what they were saying. “Christine, always Christine,” Meg shouted, then the gun rang out.

I was shocked, scared that she had shot my little boy, I barely even felt the pain as the bullet ripped through me. It wasn’t until Gustave shouted and Erik grabbed me as I started to collapse that I registered what had happened.

She shot me. Meg, my best friend from childhood, just shot me in the abdomen.

I wasn’t so worried about what would happen to me, but to my two favorite men in my life.

“where’s papa, he should be here, Where’s papa?” Gustave cried out. Poor Gustave thought this was going to be a fun trip to America when it was over, we’d go back home with Raoul and life would be back to normal, but that’s not how this is turning out. It was hard to admit the truth to him, he certainly wasn’t expecting it, nor was he taking it very well. The last I’ll see of my poor babies face was the horror of finding out his real father is. Then there’s Erik. This poor man has already had a tough life and if he thought he lost me before, then he was sorely mistaken.

“And what about the boy, what am I to do?” he asked. My goodness as if the pain wasn’t bad enough, I’m still making amends, even lying on my death bed. I guess what they say is true, men need a woman.

“Do what you think is right, Erik.” Or at least, I think that’s what I said, not quite sure, the pain is kind of making everything fuzzy. He nodded and looked at our son, a solemn look in his eye.

“Come closer” I whispered through my last breath. He stared at me as if telling me to hold on. “Closer still,” this time he leaned in, out lips practically touching, “Remember, love never dies,” I said, quoting the last song I’ll ever sing, and what a glorious song it was. “Kiss me one last time,”

He closed the gap, and it was just so hard to let go. I didn’t want to die, especially not in America, I wanted to be buried next to my father, and Raoul still gets all of my money because we’re still married. Oh God, even in death, I’m still worrying.

Finally, I let go, and this must be what heaven feels like. Though I never followed a white light, but what do the other people know about light, they’re still alive. Erik’s lips were still to mine, kissing me in desperation like he did when I came off of that stage. It felt so real too, I like heaven. When we broke away, O stared into his beautiful golden eyes, a reminder of Gustave, before everything faded.

The sound of the sea was still becoming and Meg must have come back because her voice started resonating in my ears. Distant flashing lights formed behind my eyelids and I opened them to see, surprised to that I was still alive.

However, when I opened them, Erik was keeping me protectively behind him and Meg was holding a gun to her head, her other hand was my son.

I stood there confused as Madame Giry and Erik tried to talk Meg down. I wonder if this is what they’re talking about when they say you see your life flash before your eyes. The terror in Gustave’s eyes was as horrifying the second time as it was the first, as a mother, I don’t like seeing my child distressed or in pain. Meg was starting to become my least favorite person.

Still confused, I heard the gunshot for the second time, and barely registered as I fell to the ground. Erik rushed over to me, grabbing me right before I hit the ground and held on to me for dear life.

“Where’s papa he should be here, where’s papa,” I had an extreme bout of déjà vu as I explained to Gustave again who his father was, he still ran away, I don’t think there’s any avoiding that.

Slowly, the carnival noises around, people talking and the happy, yet slightly creepy music, started to close over me as everything turned fuzzy, and faded out, while I was still talking.

The next thing I knew, I was running, calling for Gustave. I stopped in my tracks, trying to process what is happening.

I have just died. Twice. In a row, in the same way. I looked around, watching Erik running away, looking at every child he passes.

“Erik,” I screamed over all of the people, “the peer,” I figured we would speed this process along, maybe we could catch them before they reached the peer, she had only just got there when we arrived. We started running towards the shoreline, Madame Giry in a close tail.  

“What makes you think?” he asked as we ran through the swarm of people heading in the opposite direction.

“Just going off on a limb.” We pushed harder as the end came near and we could see the two figures.

“Meg, stop,” She wasn’t at the end of the peer yet, and turned around in a shock.

“Mother,” Gustave said, trying to break free of Meg's grasp but to no avail.

“Stop, don’t come any closer,” Meg said, pulling my child closer to the rails that separate the peer from the water.

“Meg, calm down, it’s going to be okay,” Madame Giry reasoned.

_Yeah, I’m not going through this again._

I walked towards Meg my goal to save Gustave and didn’t even feel the bullet pass through me.

 _Now that was just in cold blood,_ I thought as I fell to the ground and faded out and in again.

This time, we were all still standing in my dressing room as Fleck explained the situation in her weird way of speaking. Like I barely understand English, and she is not helping. However, this gave me time to think about what has happened.

I have now died, like, three times, each time getting pushed a little bit further back and having to relive my death over and over again. But, I am starting to see a pattern, and I think the solution would be to not die.

Pretty sound theory.

Everybody was looking at me, probably to see what I’d think, but I don’t remember the question from the first time, so I just told everyone to head to the end of the peer and that sent everyone into action.

For the third time tonight, I’m running down the boardwalk in half a dress, half a cover-up, towards the end to save my son's life, but probably get killed instead. My day went from being the best day of my life, to rock bottom.

We made it to the peer again, out of breath and ready for action. At the confrontation, Meg turned around Gustave loosely in her arms, but still a tight enough hold to keep him from me.

She started out on her pity rant, which actually made me pity her. This girl had a hard life, and mine wasn’t easy, but it was hard in an easy way. I wish I had gone with Erik, I wished that every day of my life with Raoul by the end of my marriage. Together, we had some good times, I’m not saying I didn’t love him, just that I love Erik more. At the end of Raoul’s and my marriage, he was always drunk and wasted money away. However, Meg had to sell herself out and never got any compensation for it. People would come to the carnival, see her show, and forget her name the second they would leave. People remember my name, pay a large amount of money to had a piece of paper with it on it, of course, she would envy me, especially when Erik did everything in my name and all she wanted was some semblance of love.

“Diamonds never sparkle bright, if they aren’t set just right, beauty sometimes goes unseen, we can’t all be like Ch-“

“Diamonds,” I cut him off, hoping that that would sway her away from putting a hole through me. However, I could tell it wasn’t going to work. I left myself exposed in front of Erik instead of where he hid me behind himself. Either way, it wouldn’t have worked because that bullet would curve to hit me.

After I said that, she started to break out of the trace she had worked up with Erik talking her down, and me cutting in snapped that.

With a scream, words I didn’t catch, something thing like what she said the first time, she raised the gun and shot me again, faster than usual. I faded out before Erik caught me.

When I came back, I’m holding the note Raoul wrote to me. I knew I only had a short amount of time before people started flooding into this room and I had to get help from Erik. I placed down the note and turned around, ignoring the head rush, I started explaining it to Erik.

“Erik honey, you’re going to think I’m insane, but you have to listen to me. I have gone through this scenario like three times now. Meg has Gustave, they’re heading to the peer,-“

“What?” He exclaimed.

“Listen, they’re heading to the peer, Gustave can’t swim and so you’re going to slowly try to entice her out of killing our son, you are going to say something stupid and bring up my name, she is going to shoot and kill me,”

“You’re right, I think you’re insane,” He said, leaning on to the wall, the half his face that I could see turning the same pale shade of his mask.

“But you believe me,”

“You just said your life and my son's life are in danger, I don’t want to believe you, yet how could I not.”

“Well, let’s go, Gustave is still out there,”

“You can’t go, what if you die again,”

“Then I’ll probably come back, just a little bit further back in time and I’ll explain it again and fix it again, something or someone wants me to survive this, and I don’t know why, maybe it’s you in the first time wishing me back to life, if so, stop, I don’t like reliving my death.”

“I don’t want you to die,” A knock brought us back and Fleck walked into the room.

“Sir, we have a situation,” she started.

“Not now,” he said before turning back to me. “We need to leave, now.” Erik grabbed my hand and pulled me past the girl and out the door.

“But sir, it’s about Gustave,” she tried to follow us, but I could barely keep up with him, there’s no way she could.

“We know,” he screamed down the hall. We burst out the back entrance and out into the open air. The smell of the sea was fresh, but still not calming. We ran through the ‘employes only’ gate and out into the populated area. Ignoring everyone around us, we made it to the peer before Meg did, not helping my case.

“Where are they, why aren’t they here,” he growled, looking at the crowd of people starting to make their way out of the carnival.

“I don’t know” slowly, Meg and Gustave emerged and made their way over to us. When she looked up, she was shocked.

“What are you doing here?” she looked between us, starting to come to conclusions in her head, I know that look. “Of course you two would be here. A romantic walk on the beach after your big performance. How stupid of me to think otherwise.” Gustave had a slim look of hope in his eyes, but in Meg's left hand I could see her white knuckling the gun. A hiss from my right told me Erik saw the same.

“Meg, that’s not why we’re here,” he used his calming voice, but that only made me more on edge.

“Keep telling me that buddy, but I know a lie when I hear one. I mean, shouldn’t I? All I’ve done since I got here was lie. ‘yeah mom, I’m okay,’” she mimicked herself “’No, mom, I won’t need your help, I’ll be safe, and get the deal through good means,’ I mean, what even is the truth nowadays?” she laughed wickedly, scaring the child in her arms.

“Meg, let the boy go,” Erik kept his voice as smooth as silk, but it still didn’t help. “My mother isn’t even here. She didn’t come to find me, probably doesn't even know I’m missing.” Her hand shook with more purpose. “You’re mother’s here Gustave, she cares about you. My mother was always busy taking care of other peoples children, never gave me the time of day.”

“That’s not true Meg, your mother loves you,” I said, trying to calm her down.

“Shut up, Christine,” she raised the gun, but thankfully didn’t shoot, not that the bullet would have hit me anyway, she would be shooting off into the distance.

“She’s more insane than usual,” I whispered to Erik.

“Duly noted,” he whispered back then turned to the insane girl in front of him, “Meg, think about what you’re doing, think of the future consequences. You’re just waving the gun around with no direction. What will happen if you shoot it, shoot me, yourself, the boy, or Christine,”

“So what if I shoot Christine,” she tensed up, growling out my name, waving the gun around and shooting me. I knew that bullet would curve.

I heard everyone around me gasp and cry out, but I faded out and back in again.

This time, I came back into reality kissing Erik right after I finished my performance. I pulled away after savoring that moment for a minute and tried to focus on what I needed to do.

We needed Madame Giry, we should attack her straight on, but we need to leave now if we want to catch her before she gets to the peer.

“We need to leave now,” I said, grabbing Erik's hand and running out the door. We ran past Fleck and I yelled to her to tell Madame Giry to meet us at the end of the peer.

“What is going on,” Erik asked, keeping pace with me as I weaved through the unfamiliar halls, trying to remember my way to the private door, or any door, in general, to get us outside.

“um, long story,” I looked around another corner, deciding to keep going straight, “Meg has Gustave and a gun, she’s heading to the peer, we’re going to stop her, you’re not going to say my name,”

“What – Christine, you’re not making any sense,” We finally made it outside, and from here I have the direction memorized.

“I know, and you’re not going to believe me even I explain it. I’ll explain it to you if I make it through this, but you have to promise me to follow my lead and not mention, well, me.”

“Okay, but I’m getting that explanation, and you are going to survive through this,” he said, stopping me and looking into my eyes with sincerity.

“Yeah, but we have to find her, she got a head start, but she won’t be at the end yet because we left earlier than usual.” He gave me a confusing look but nodded anyway. We headed off again towards the peer, looking at every bright blond we saw on the way.

After five minutes of searching, we found her. We were still surrounded by people on all sides heading in a different direction as we approached her, this gave me a little more security because I knew she was less likely to pull the gun out.

“Get the gun,” I whispered then headed my way over to her right side, remembering in the last time that she had it in her left hand, not sure of the other times. I was hoping that I was right because I know he could get it without her realizing it, I don’t think I could. Taking a deep breath, I started acting.

“Meg, there you are,” I scared her, and she was slightly confused on how we caught her but didn’t let it show.

“Mom,” Gustave cried, easily breaking out of Meg’s grip because she let her guard down from the shock.

“And you have Gustave,” Erik laughed with his caramel laugh.

“Yeah, I was – uh – just taking him for a walk, showing him the ocean,” she quickly formulated the lie.

“No mom she-,” I placed my hand over Gustave's mouth just long enough to get him to shut up, but not long enough to be suspicious. Erik started talking, but I didn’t pay attention. Gustave looked up at me and I put my finger on my mouth, telling him to be silent.

“Meg,” we heard from behind us. The group turned around to find the source of the voice. It was Madame Giry. “Oh Meg, thank god, Fleck said you’d be at the end of the peer. I was worried, she said it like it was urgent, are you okay?”

“Yeah mom, I’m fine. I was just walking, taking the water in and showing Gustave, it is the last day of the season.” She walked towards Madame Giry and when she did that Erik showed me the gun before placing it back in his overdramatic cape.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, but Gustave looked between us, confused. I got down and level with him, thinking about how to do this without making it obvious.

“Are you alright?” he nodded his head. “Good, everything will clear up soon, I can’t really explain it now, but it will be okay, you have to trust me and not say anything.”

“She owes me an explanation too,” Erik approached from behind.

“Meg and I are going to head back, she’s tired and needs some rest.” Madame Giry started herding Meg back in the direction of the stage house.

“Alright, thanks Madame Giry, for everything.” Erik said, “Oh and Meg, make good decisions,” She nodded slightly, before walking away. He turned back to me sitting on the boardwalk, “Spill woman.”

I, too, sat down, explaining everything. The first time it happened, then second, third. I explained everything I knew about the situation, which admittedly, wasn’t much. Then I explained to Gustave who his real father is and that Raoul left for France again, he didn’t take that well, but didn’t run away this time and actually faced Erik for the first time since the unmasking.

It was late at night before we knew it and I had two men who still thought I was slightly insane escorting me back inside, however, I know that Erik had to believe me because I was right about where Meg was and the gun in her pocket.

I put Gustave to bed, telling him once more that everything will be okay and we’ll figure it out in the morning. Erik met me outside his door and enveloped me in his arms tightly, something I needed right now after my really depressing day.

“Thank you, for everything. Even things you didn’t do this time, I know that it’s in your subconscious to hold me as the life spills out of me,”

“A depressing thought, let’s not think about that please,”

“Let’s start over again, I don’t want to think about anything that happened in the last ten years that led me to this.”

“Let’s,” He kissed me once more, and I wished that I could stay here forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it because i liked writing it but not as much reading it.


End file.
